patents, prov. patent

[DIEGO]

hey hey,

dreaming the licensing dream, I am developing a product and I am navigating the daunting task of the whole patent or provisional patent decision. We all know the huge costs and time frames to get a patent. I have read from Stephen Key and various books on the subject.

My product is a new type of lid/container to transport food/lunch. small personal use.

Is a provisional patent really enough protection to bring my idea to a large company and hope to strike a licensing deal?

anyone have any experience with this?

[Marcie]

Yes, the provisional patent will protect you but I beleive ot only does so for a year, so the issue is really the timeline before it gets expensive...

[kamakiri]

The search function is your friend here Diego. The sheer volume of people who come to this forum with that question is huge. Everyone seems to have the next best widget. I would have to say that you are putting a priority on the wrong aspect of your muse.

In this day and age any muse you build will have run it's course in 2-3 years. Be that Robert Kiyosaki's surfer wallets, or the Rubik's cube. If you waste time on a patent, you gain nothing. By wasting time I mean time, energy, and resources.

Look around you. Does MacDonalds have the patent oh hamburgers? Does any company have a patent on computers or monitors? There are lots of patented parts, processes and equipment involved in making burgers, PCs and monitors, but the market is open and profitable. Good marketing (Mac) will trump any competition, and even with a patent, if someone steals your invention, you have little to no recourse. Realistically fighting it will end up costing you more in the long run, while at the same time taking energy away from your core when you could be riding the shirt tails of a better funded thief.

Sounds counter intuitive, but do the math and the numbers are sound.